TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Nov. 16, 2016 - PRLog -- Masterpiece Design Group (MDG) of Winter Park solidified its reputation as one of the country's most versatile design firms by winning five major industry awards for design and merchandising excellence – including a prestigious Grand Aurora – at the 38th annual Southeast Builder's Conference (SEBC) in Orlando.

The full-service design firm, serving the country's homebuilding industry for nearly two decades, showcased its versatility by earning top honors in Kitchen Design, Interior Detailing and Model Merchandising for homebuilding projects in the Orlando and South Florida markets.

In addition to its Grand Aurora, the 18-year-old company also earned two Aurora and two Excel awards at the SEBC to cap off a very active year, says Masterpiece President/COO Christy Scanlon, whose company has been providing professional services for some of the biggest names in the industry.

The SEBC is an annual event that features hundreds of the best and most distinctive designs from builders and industry professionals from 11 Southeast states and the Eastern Caribbean.

Masterpiece also scored well locally, garnering two Major Achievement Awards for model merchandising at the Greater Orlando Builder's Association annual gala recognizing outstanding member achievement.

With the seven new additions to its portfolio, Masterpiece now has earned 50 separate industry awards since its inception in 1998.

The crown jewel for 2016, however, is the Grand Aurora. Masterpiece took the top prize, the $1-2 Million/Best Interior Merchandising category for the Edge B model in Palm Beach Gardens by well-known South Florida builder Kolter Homes.

It was one of five awards in which Masterpiece and Kolter Homes collaborated. They also won Auroras for Best Interior Detailing ($1-2 Million) for the Edge D; Best Kitchen ($1-2 million) for the Edge D; an Excel in Best Model Merchandising ($1-3 million) for the Edge B; and a MAME in Best Model Merchandising Single-Family ($1-3 million) for the Edge B.

Masterpiece also teamed up with M/I Homes to win two awards for separate models in Winter Garden: an Excel in Best Model Merchandising (Under $500,000) for the Rutland at Summerlake Groves and another in Best Model Merchandising Multi-Family (Under $500,000) for the Coventry at Hickory Hammock. The Excel awards were presented at the SEBC by the Florida Homebuilders Sales & Marketing Council honoring Florida members.

"Winning an Aurora, let alone a Grand Aurora, is a major achievement in itself because you are competing against hundreds of the very best and talented design professionals from not just Florida but 10 other states and the Caribbean," says Scanlon.

Scanlon says being recognized for its design is always rewarding but she takes greater satisfaction in getting recognition for her builder clients such as Kolter Homes and M/I Homes and contributing to their sales and marketing success.

"Our primary objective – particularly with Model Merchandising – is to not just make the homes look appealing and captivating but also to help drive sales," she says. "If we're successful doing that, we're doing our job. The awards and outside recognition are simply an added bonus."

Since its inception in 1998, Masterpiece has become one of Florida's premier design companies with a diverse clientele in most of the state's major metro markets, including Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota-Bradenton, Jacksonville and south Florida, as well as key market areas in the Southeast and Midwest. Over the years it has provided professional design and model merchandising services for a long line of industry leaders, including Homes by WestBay, Standard Pacific/Cal Atlantic Homes, Silliman Homes, Royal Oaks Homes, AV Homes, Lennar Homes, DR Horton Homes, Ryland Homes, Taylor Morrison and Chicago-based Crown Development Group.